Celebrating my first monthaversary on Substack with some tips

Paying it forward to those who want to start a Substack newsletter

Photograph by Daiga Ellaby

Dear hopeful reader,

A month ago I wrote my first Substack newsletter. Since then, I wrote 13 more, not counting this post. Weeks prior to launching “when hope writes,” I was hesitating on whether I should do it. Meanwhile I had so many ideas brewing, but no outlet to share them. Unless I would pitch or submit them to publications, but that would take months of waiting to—let’s face it, Nadia—most likely get rejected anyways.

I had a calling to share my writing and pieces of my soul that may not necessarily be fitting for a magazine. I wanted to take charge of what I write, publish, and share with others, not be rejected for the umpteenth time or have my work filtered. And I had a longing to connect with others on a human level, something I feel is lacking on most social media platforms today. I wanted to be me, unabashedly.

Against all naysaying in my head, I went for it, I followed my passion. I have no regrets. I create and I’m feeling creative as ever, if not more. I got connected with lovely people from all walks of life and got a peek inside their individual world and views. And I got to publish my writing my way.

Now I want to pay it forward with some tips to anyone thinking about launching their own Substack newsletter or who has just done so. So that you don’t feel like you’re alone on this journey, so that you don’t get discouraged if your newsletter doesn’t grow right away.

Patience and perseverance

I whispered these two words to myself a lot in the beginning of my Substack journey when my viewership and engagement were low. I can’t lie, it was discouraging. But I told myself that others have been through this themselves, that hardly anyone is an exception. So I kept writing, publishing as often as I could, posting my newsletters on social media—it payed off. At two-week mark, the viewership skyrocketed and there was a bit more engagement on my posts.

So give yourself at least two weeks. Then see if there’s something you could tweak about your newsletter. Is it the niche subject? Are you too broad? Did you include call-to-action buttons in your posts? Is your layout appealing or grating to the eyes? Are your posts too long or not long enough? Did you proofread your work? (Yes, there will readers who will be turned off by grammar mistakes.)

Meanwhile, keep doing the work. Write. Post. Share. Repeat. Be consistent, even if it means posting biweekly or once a week. Viewership dwindles if posting is infrequent. And remember, be patient and perseverant. If you need assistance, I got you.

Join groups

For me, it wasn’t necessarily posting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn that got me subscribers. My first subscribers were family and friends seeing my posts on these social media platforms. And not all of them are subscribed but still read and engage with my writing, which I absolutely appreciate. So even if others don’t subscribe to your newsletter but still read and are engaged with it in other ways, it matters.

These social media platforms weren’t catalysts for me getting additional subscribers. Maybe a few here and there. However, I joined groups that connected me to other fellow writers who subscribed to me and support my work and vice versa. The Facebook group Substack Writers is a great community where others share their newsletters and provide helpful tricks and encouragement. If you’re on Reddit, you can join r/substackpostmedium for the same.

Subscribe to Substack creators who publish work that resonates with you, engage with it, share their posts, recommend their newsletter. And if you have any recommendations and insight, share them with others. To get, you should give. That has been working for me, even when not everyone reciprocates. I’m also naturally inclined to give.

Targeted growth

Doing everything yourself can be overwhelming. Sometimes to reach your target audience you may need a little help. A site like The Sample sends your newsletter to readers that may be interested in what you write. And that’s free to do! It also offers cross-promotion and paid forwards.

InboxReads lists your newsletter on their site by topics. If a reader is attracted by your description page, they’ll subscribe directly. They also provide cross-promotion, sponsorship, referral program, and advertisement opportunities.

Both sites helped me gain a few subscribers so far and a lot of views. I was also able to find more wonderful newsletters to read.

Growth is gradual and variable

Somedays you’ll have subscriber upon subscriber signing up for your newsletters. Other days, there won’t be any. You’ll have over 100 views one day, and another day just under 30. You’ll also get subscribers from Substack randomly on days you don’t even post. Yay! All this to say, growth happens steadily and erratically like that. But it still happens in an increasing pattern. As long as you’re sharing work that speaks to others.

Be yourself

As cliché as the age-old quote “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” sounds, it rings wise and true. When you write, be your authentic, vulnerable self, as much as you can be on the Internet. Trust me, the right audience will appreciate that and stick around for the long haul. From what I’ve witnesses in a month of being here, the community on Substack craves sincerety, truth, integrity, and oppenness, readers and writers alike.

Post on weekdays

Over the course of this month, I followed the pattern of when readers are engaged and when creators post. Although there’s still viewership during the weekend like any other days, the engagement is much higher on a weekday. No wonder more writers publish their newsletters on Tuesdays through Thursdays, the optimal days on getting as many eyes on your work as possible. So I recommend doing that when possible. Has it been the case for you on Substack?

Other

When you leave a comment on someone else’s newsletter and have a back-and-forth discourse with others, chances are, someone who vibes with you will be curious about you, click on your page, and subscribe. It has worked for me as of late.

Future plans for “when hope writes”

I’m still a newbie here, and there’s so much I have yet to learn about this site, the community here, and the direction of my newsletter. But I already have some plans I’m excited about I want to share with you.

Perks, perks, perks

I decided to not have certain posts be for paid subscribers only. I want all my work to be accessible to everyone. If people want to support me monetarily, they can. If not, no worries at all. Paid subscribers do get some special perks by yours truly though. Here’s a breakdown of what everyone gets when they subscribe to my newsletter:

Free subscribers

• Weekly posts

• Occasional giveaways

Monthy paid subscribers ($5/month)

• Weekly posts

• Occasional giveaways

• Yearly thank you note with a little something

Annual paid subscribers ($55/year)

• Weekly posts

• Occasional giveaways

• Yearly thank you note with a little something

• 8% cheaper than monthly subscription

Founding member subscribers ($100/year)

• Weekly posts

• Occasional giveaways

• Yearly thank you note with a little something

• Yearly care package

Now I want to be a founding member of “when hope writes.” Oh, wait, I can’t!

Giveaways

My plan is to do occasional giveaway contests with stimulating competitions. I will be giving away books, films, shows, and mementos. I already have a phenomenal book in mind for the first contest. Stay tuned for more details in the near future!

Community building

I want “when hope writes” to be more than just a space for my writing, but also a community. I want to share other people’s thought-provoking work. Here’s how I want to accomplish this:

• Cross-post a newsletter I read that my readers will love

• Cross-promote a post by another Substack creator, and they do the same for me

• Do a guest blog post here by another writer or artist and share it on social media

If you want to collaborate with me, please connect with me on Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. You can also leave a comment on this post. I look forward to it!

Thank you

Thank you all for celebrating my one month on Substack with me. Much gratitude to your support. I’ll be doing posts like this with growth hacks from time to time, so we can all grow together.

If there’s something that helped your Substack grow significantly, share your tips with others in the comments below.

Yours hopefully,

Nadia